1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to connectors, and more particularly, to a connecting device having integrally formed male/female connectors.
2. Description of Related Art
In personal computer (PC) systems, the CPU (central processing unit) will produce heat when operating at high speeds. So as to dissipate the heat, there are customarily provided with an electric fan and an aluminum-made plate near the CPU. Conventionally, the electric fan in a PC is connected to the power source via a connecting device as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in which 1 designates the power source, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d designate a set of four cables, and 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d designate four output male connectors that are respectively connected to the four cables 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. The power source 1 converts the utility power of 110V/220V into four DC outputs that are supplied respectively via the cables 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d to the output male connectors 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d which then serve as four outlets of the power source 1. Each cable is further composed of a bundle of wires, including a yellow wire for supplying a +12V DC power, a red wire for supplying a +5V DC power, and a black wire for connecting to the ground (0V). These four outlets allow the power source 1 to supply electric power respectively to various devices in the computer, such as the mother board, the first disk drive, the second disk drive, and the fourth disk drive. Commonly, these four outlets are fully utilized. Therefore, to supply electric power to the electric fan (which needs a +12V power), a connecting device as illustrated in FIG. 1B should be used to form a shunt outlet from one of the four outlets. This connecting device includes a female connector 4, a cable 5 which includes four wires, and a male connector 7. To provide the shunt outlet for supply power to the electric fan, a pair of wires 6 are branched out from the female connector 4. In use, the female connector 4 is connected to one of the output connectors 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, and the male connector 7 serves in substitute as the outlet to the original destination device.
One major drawback of the foregoing connecting device, however, is that the female and male connectors 4, 7 together need eight terminals to connect to the four wires in the cable 5. The connecting device of FIG. 1B is thus not only laborious to assemble, but is also costly to manufacture. Moreover, it could be occasionally connected by the user to the wrong sides.